Major features |
Setting of critical illness, particularly if complicated by sepsis, multiorgan failure, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome |
Difficulty weaning from ventilator that is not related to cardiopulmonary causes |
Possible limb weakness |
Electrophysiologic evidence of axonal motor and sensory polyneuropathy |
Features favoring the diagnosis |
Sensory and motor nerve amplitudes <80 percent of the lower limit of normal in two or more nerves on nerve conduction studies |
Absence of conduction block or prolongation of F waves |
Needle electromyography (EMG) with reduced recruitment of normal motor unit potentials (MUPs; early) followed by fibrillation potentials and reduced recruitment of long-duration, high-amplitude MUPs (after weeks) |
Absence of a decremental response on repetitive nerve stimulation |
Supportive features |
Normal cerebrospinal fluid protein |
Normal serum creatine kinase |
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